A horse pulled off winter pasture is fat, soft, and out of shape. Bring him back slow before the long gathers start,…
Stagnant summer stock ponds can grow a toxic cyanobacteria bloom in a matter of days, and cattle that drink from the downwind…
Cheatgrass cures early and grass fires move fast on a Montana afternoon. A little work in June — clearing fuel, prepping equipment,…
Predator losses climb once cattle scatter onto big country and forest allotments. Finding the kill is half the job; documenting it before…
June and July thunderstorms drop cattle in bunches, often under the one shade tree in the pasture or along a wire fence.…
Getting irrigation water where it does the most good in June sets up your hay crop and your fall regrowth. Here's how…
Foot rot shows up fast on summer grass, almost always in one foot, and it spreads from the wet, churned-up ground cattle…
Larkspur is one of the surefire killers on Montana's foothill and mountain ranges, and cattle die from it fastest right when you…
You checked the bulls before turnout, but the breeding season is where they get hurt, worn down, or beat off the cows.…
Horn flies cluster on a cow's back and belly by the thousands, and every bite pulls a little weight and milk off…
Waiting an extra week to cut first-cutting alfalfa or grass hay buys you tonnage and costs you feed value. Here's how to…
Alfalfa weevil larvae strip the leaves off new growth right before first cutting, and the frosted-looking field you're waiting on may be…
Ranch horses carry the load through branding, gathering, and the long summer rides to the far country. A little attention to feet,…
Respiratory disease doesn't wait for weaning. Nursing calves two to four months old go down with pneumonia on summer pasture, and on…
When ponds warm up and drop in the June and July heat, cyanobacteria can bloom into a toxic scum that kills cattle…
Standing water around tanks and gates sets cattle up for foot rot in early summer. Here's how to spot it early, treat…
High-country snowmelt peaks and then fades fast in a dry June. The water you get onto your hay ground now is the…
Body condition at breeding decides more of next year's calf crop than the bull does. Here's how thin cows and late calvers…
Tall larkspur is one of the deadliest plants on Montana mountain range, and the danger climbs right when cattle move to summer…
A breeding soundness exam gets your bulls to the pasture gate, but it doesn't keep them working. Riding through the bulls during…
Horn flies live on the animal and feed on blood dozens of times a day. Left alone through a Montana summer, they…
Before the herd hits the summer pastures, the stock water setup deserves a hard look. A stuck float or dry well in…
Haying equipment sits nine months and then gets asked to run flat out for three weeks. A few hours of shop time…
First cutting sets the tone for your whole hay year. Waiting for more tonnage costs you protein, and cutting too short costs…
Prairie rattlers come off the dens and spread across summer range by mid-June. A bite on the muzzle rarely poisons a cow…